Hand Hygiene: A simple, effective way to prevent infections

By Seema Sarkar

October 15 is observed as Global Handwashing Day

Hand hygiene is one of the simplest, yet most effective ways to prevent the spread of germs and infection. Whether you’re at home, at work, or in public places, practicing good hand hygiene helps protect not only yourself but also those around you. Here’s a guide to understanding the basics of hand hygiene and its importance.

Why is Hand Hygiene Important?

Every day, our hands come into contact with various surfaces that harbor germs, including bacteria and viruses. Touching your face, food, or other people with unwashed hands can easily transfer these germs, leading to infections like colds, flu, or even more severe illnesses such as COVID-19.

When Should You Wash Your Hands?

It’s essential to wash your hands at key moments throughout the day, including:

Before and after eating

Before, during, and after preparing food

After using the bathroom

After coughing, sneezing, or blowing your nose

After touching garbage or dirty surfaces

After handling pets or cleaning their waste

After touching any public surface (like door handles, shopping carts, etc.)

How to Wash Your Hands Effectively?

For handwashing to be effective, follow these steps:

Using Hand Sanitizer – Sanitizer can be used effectively to clean hands in most situations specially in hospitals.

Sanitizer should contain at least 60% alcohol.

To use: Apply the sanitizer to the palm of one hand.

Rub your hands together, covering all surfaces of your hands and fingers, until your hands feel dry (this should take around 20 seconds)

Soap and Water hand wash is a useful alternative to sanitizer.

Wet your hands with clean, running water (warm or cold), then turn off the tap and apply soap.

Lather your hands by rubbing them together with the soap. Be sure to lather the backs of your hands, between your fingers, and under your nails.

Scrub your hands for at least 20 seconds.

Rinse your hands well under clean, running water.

Dry your hands using a clean towel or air dry them.

My “5 Moments of Hand Hygiene”

This is of utmost importance in hospital setting where it has proved to be effective in Breaking the Chain of Infection and preventing cross infection from patient – to – health care worker, health care worker – to –patient, patient – to – patient through health care worker.

The key moments for hand hygiene in hospital setting are:

1. Before Touching a patient
2. After Touching a patient
3. Before clean and aseptic procedure
4. After exposure to body fluids
5. After touching the patients’ surroundings

Common Myths about Hand Hygiene

Myth 1: “Hot water kills more germs than cold water.”

Fact: The temperature of the water doesn’t matter as much as using soap and scrubbing your hands for the right amount of time.

Myth 2: “Frequent hand washing is good for the skin”

Frequent hand washing can cause mucosal disruption in the hand. Microbes can colonize these skin pores and transmit infection.

Myth 3: Wearing gloves removes the need for hand hygiene

Wearing gloves does not remove the need for handwashing. A hand hygiene event should happen prior to donning gloves. Gloves can have unseen defects or can be torn during use, providing a point of contact for the skin. In addition, bacteria can multiply rapidly in the moist environments underneath gloves. We should also note that just like your skin, gloved hands can pick up germs, so it is important to perform an additional hand hygiene event after donning gloves.

Conclusion

Hand hygiene is a simple practice that can significantly reduce the spread of diseases. By making handwashing a regular habit and teaching others to do the same, we can all contribute to a healthier community. Keep your hands clean, and you’ll help keep yourself and other from illness.

(Author is Sister-in-charge, OPD at Tata Main Hospital, Jamshedpur.)